Linkwood Single Malt Whisky

Linkwood distillery is located in Elgin, in the Speyside region. There has actually been two distilleries named Linkwood in this area. The original Linkwood was founded by Peter Brown and began producing in 1825, shortly after the introduction of the Excise Act which legalised whisky production in Scotland. The distillery was inherited by William Brown following his father’s death in 1868. In 1872, the distillery was destroyed to make space for construction of a new facility which was completed two years later. The facility was taken over by Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd (SMD) in 1933 and a major refurbishment was completed in 1962.

In 1971 construction started on the second Linkwood, just next to the existing facility. This new build varied from the original, using condensers rather than worm tubs – meaning the distilleries created two distinctive whiskies. This is a relatively common practice for SMD, with similar projects having been undertaken at both Clynelish and Glendullan distilleries.

Linkwood has traditionally been used to produce spirit for blended whiskies rather than single malts – and is commonly used in Diageo’s White Horse and Jonnie Walker blends. However it has grown in prominence as single malt in recent years, partly thanks to the release of a number of special finishes (rum, port, and sweet red wine) which were aged for up to 26 years. While official bottles are still relatively hard to find, independent bottlings from Linkwood are now quite common.